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V. BAREAU.

Improvement in Games of Chance. No. 128,941, Patentedlulyl6,l872.

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VICTOR BAREAU, PARIS, FRANCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAMES OF CHANCE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,941, dated July 16,1872.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIc'roR BAREAU, of Paris, in the Republic of France,have invented a new Game termed Success, of which the following is aspecification:

This game possesses certain characteristics which will first be named.It is based upon philosophic principle orideato wit: that success inlife depends upon fortune or chance as well as upon ones free will andcapability. For the purpose of representing the action of thesedifferent agencies, I have devised a game, in which the needle of chanceor fateregisters numloers to the obtaining of which the skill of theplayer can contribute nothing, while allowance is made for the exerciseof all the skill of the player by means of balls, which are depositedautomatically upon a table or platform, where theymay be struck orimpelled by the player for the purpose of driving them intodifferently-numberedpockets. The means for depositing the balls on thetable produce ghe movement which actuates the needle of ate.

The manner in which my invention is or may by reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents an elevation of oneform of apparatus in which the game is embodied. Fig. 2 is aplan of thesame. Figs. 3, 4, 5 represent detached parts, which will be referred tohereafter.

At or near the bottom of the box A is placed a circular platform, 13,the surface of which rises slightly from the center to thecircumference, where are placed variously-numbered pockets 0, thebottoms of which are slightly inclined in an opposite direction. At thecenter of the platform B is arranged a stirrer or agitator, G, fixed ona vertical axis, a, which which acts on the agitator throughintermediary pulleys y z, and an endless belt or cord connecting thesame. The balls which descend from the star E, and pass through one ofthe conduits F upon the platformB, can there be driven, by means of theagitator Gr, toward the pocket which carries the number preferred by theplayer. Each ball is deposited upon the star E by a smalldistributing-cup or bucket, I, which is arranged and I operates asfollows: It is suspended by a cord, J, which is attached to the centerpoint of three radial cords, 'i, which are fastened at their outer endsto the upper edge of the cup, as shown in plan in Fig. 4. The cord Jruns against a guide-pulley, K, and, extending up around the pulley L,as shown in Fig. 1, passes down again on the other side of guide-pulleyK 5 and it carries at this end a counter-weight, w, of suitable form,weighing one-half ball more than the distributer I. A long verticalbracket or standard, M,-is secured to the bottom of the box A; it ismade preferably in one piece, and may have any suitable form. ThebracketM carries theaxis b of the guide-pulley, and also the axis at ofthe driving-pulley L, which latter axis also carries a fly-wheel, 1?,shown in plan in Fig. 3, and a needle, 9, which turns freely on the saidaxis. The needie 9 is designed to mark one of the numbers, which arearranged in any desired order on the dial B. This dial is fixed tobranches S, attached to or forming part of the bracket M. The receiverT, in which the balls are placed, is also fixed to the bracket M, andadjoining it is an arm, V, capable of a slight oscillatory movement onthe axis f. This arm is provided at its outer end with an upright hollowpost or box, with an opening in its side adjoining the mouth of thereceiver or trough T and this box is of such height that when theoscillating arm drops its upper end h will holdback the ball at themouth of the"receiver T, and

prevent it from entering the hollow box. If, however, the player drawson the cord J and elevates the cup I, so that it will press from belowagainst the arm V, the latter will thereby be raised until the part hisremoved above the ball, which, when thus released, falls throughtheorifice 1 into the cup I, while the other balls in the receiver T areprevented from advancing by means of a stop-pin, m, at

the extremity of arm V, which plays up or down, according to themovement of the arm, through a hole in the bottom of trough T, asindicated in the drawing.

When the first ball has fallen into the distributing-cup the latter atonce descends, as it has become heavier than the counter-weight m. Indescending it leaves the arm V, which, consequently, again drops of itsownweight; and the stop-pin m also drops, thus allowing another ball totake the place just quitted by the ball in the descending-cup I.

But one ball can fall at a time, and this is received, as abovedescribed, by the cup I, which descends and deposits it gently on thestar E by means of a very simple mechanism. There is an opening in thebottom of the cup of a diameter greater than that of the ball.

This opening is partially closed, durin g the depoint of the hook, andworks against a similarlyinclined surface, 1), in the cup, so that whenthe said pin is raised by pressing upward on its projecting lower endthe inclined face of the head will work against the incline on the cupin such manner as to retract the hook or beak of the pin and'thus openthe passage for the ball. This upward movement of the pin a is caused byits lower end being brought in contact with the star E as the cupdescends, which causes the hook to be lifted, thus releasing the ball,which falls through the cup onto the star E, and thence through one ofthe down wardly-slanting conduits F to the platform 13. During this timethe cup I, freed from the ball, is lifted by the counter-weight w,whichnow weighs more than the cup, and it again operates upon the arm Vto effect the delivery of another ball, which, falling into the cup,causes the latter to redescend, and thus the movement is kept up untilthe supply of balls in the trough T is exhausted. During these movementsthe needle g, actuated by the movement of shaft or axis d, which carriesit, indicates a difierent number at each pause in the movement. Theneedle is accurately balanced, and is actuated only by frictionalcontact with the axis d, while the latter turns alternately in the onedirection and the other, according to the movement of the cup I.

It will be seen that under the above arrangement many variedcombinations of the game may be made by deducting the numbers marked onthe dial of fate from those on the pockets, into which the player hasknocked the balls, or by adding together the two, or by othervariations, which will readily suggest themselves.

Other means than those herein described by which the player drives theballs into the pockets may be employed, as these are susceptible ofconsiderable variation without departure from my invention.

The apparatus may be of various forms, dimensions, and proportions,according as it is intended for garden or country use, or to be used ina parlor or other apartment.

'W hat I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a frecly-moving needie or pointer and a dial, overwhich the same vibrates, a balldistributing device, by the asscent anddescent of which said needle is actuated, and a platform upon which theballs from said distributing device are received, and subjected to theintelligent action of the player, substantially as herein shown and setforth.

2. The herein-described apparatus for playing the game of success,constructed and arranged substantially in the manner shown and setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribin g witnesses.

V. BAREAU.

Witnesses:

EMILE BARRAULT, AUG. VINOTT.

